Rossi - My dream to learn from Alan

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Giuseppe Rossi will make his Newcastle United debut against Fulham today with the hope he will be taken under the wing of Alan Shearer during his time on Tyneside.

Rossi is a huge admirer of the former Magpies captain and has revealed the prospect of working with him while on loan from Manchester United was a major reason behind his excitement at leaving Old Trafford.

Shearer is not a full-time member of Newcastle's coaching staff because of media commitments but the club's record goal-scorer is a regular visitor at the training ground - and Rossi is keen to spend as much time as possible with the ex-England striker.

But while the prospect of learning from Shearer was a big attraction to the American-born Italian, Newcastle's reputation for attacking football also helped lure the teenager.

"It would just be great to meet Alan Shearer," said Rossi, who is expected to start against Fulham alongside Obafemi Martins this afternoon if Shola Ameobi fails a fitness test. "If I can chat with him about football, about playing as a centre-forward, that would be incredible.

"He's a legend here, his goal-scoring record speaks for itself and if I can talk to him and pick up anything while I am here that would be fantastic. Of course that was an added incentive to come to Newcastle. Alan Shearer is one of the best there has been, he would be one of the best people to learn from because he did so much.

"Newcastle have a tradition of having great centre-forwards. There have been so many top strikers at Newcastle, I'd love to be one of them while I am here. I know the supporters love strikers and I hope to be successful while I'm playing for Newcastle. That is one of the reasons I was so keen to make the move to Newcastle, they play attacking football, that's what the supporters expect to see."

The arrival of Rossi on a four-month loan deal was not the sort of ambitious signing fans wished to see. It has also raised question marks regarding the club's own development of young players. But Rossi comes with a glowing endorsement from Old Trafford and has also set tongues wagging in the United dressing room.

"It was a very tentative call to Alex, half expecting to be politely told, `No Chance'," said Roeder, who is also excited about the prospect of unleashing Martins on Premiership defences this season. "I know how highly he rates him. He wouldn't want to leave the squad weak but he slept on it and said he would be sympathetic to the request. I said I would look after him and give him plenty of experience."

Rossi's move to Newcastle is designed for Manchester United's long-term gain but it is also a short-term boost to United after their failure to sign the strikers they targeted this summer.

Rossi added: "It's great to be here with Newcastle. It's a team with great ambition, great history. It's a great opportunity for me. For now, I'm just thinking about the next four months. I'll give my best for the team until January but if everyone agrees I'd like to stay here longer."